Please renew your
membership as soon as
possible. Our
organisation can only be
effective if we have
members that support us
in protecting our
valuable environment.
Some of you are about to
be wiped off our
database – DON’T LET
THAT HAPPEN TO YOU!!

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

RIETVLEI AFTERNOON WALK

Sunday, 31 October 2010 @ 3pm

It is a long time since we walked to
the Bird Hides at Rietvlei – so
please join us on Sunday afternoon
31 October 2010 at 3pm. We will meet
at the Rietvlei Education Centre,
off Sandpiper Road, Table View

Please wear walking shoes, a hat or
jacket or whatever the weather
dictates! All are welcome!

EVENING TALK

Thursday, 11 November 2010 @ 7.30
for 8.00pm

Our end of the year report-back by
the students will be on Thursday 11
November 2010 at 7.30 for 8pm in the
Log Cabin Eerste Steen, Blaauwberg
Conservation Area. Please bring a
plate of snacks to share and we will
be enjoying the evening with our BCA
friends.

PLEASE CONTACT Pauline on 083 255
2537 if you require further info on
the above events.

Recent Events

We had a very interesting Evening Talk by Helm van Zijl of the Cape Bird Club with wonderful slides of his visit to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula in November last year. Very few of us will ever have the opportunity of visiting this isolated part of the world, but this slide show again just proved how magnificent and beautiful our planet really is.

On the 5th of September 12 people joined Christopher Singo and Rifqah Johnson on a walk through the Diep River area. The spring flowers were out in full force, and we were again made aware of the challenges that face Christopher in the management of this area. Port Jackson was invading large portions of the site. Areas that had been cleared two years ago now had considerable regrowth. We also saw the considerable amount of littering and dumping that was taking place on the site. We also experienced firsthand, the problems with motorbikes, when several bikes illegally in the area appeared in the paths we were walking. We can only hope that Christopher will soon have the necessary resources to tackle all these problems effectively. In the meantime he has put up a number of regulatory signs, so it is hoped these will help the enforcement battle.

DIEP RIVER ESTUARY MANAGEMENT PLAN

On 16 September several of our members attended a
workshop where progress with the implementation of
the Estuary Management Plan (EMP) was discussed.
Several projects have been completed or are nearing
completion. The topographic survey and digital
elevation model has been done, and preliminary
monitoring of salinities in comparison to Potsdam
effluent flows has also been completed. The study
launched by the City on the stormwater discharges
along the eastern bank of the Diep River is nearing
completion, a preliminary report has been issued and
this will be finalised within a month or two. The
Provincial Government also funded a heavy metal
survey in the sediments and biota of the Diep River,
a preliminary report has been under discussion for a
while and the final report is expected soon.

However, one of the most important studies that
needs to be done is a study of the hydrology and
geohydrology of the Diep River estuary and Rietvlei.
The data from this study is essential to address
management issues like the dust problem and
flooding, as well as to implement management
strategies that will allow the estuary to revert to
a more natural state. It is even more important now
that there has been a decision to allow the
expansion of Potsdam Waste Water Treatment Works
(see article below), this data is urgently needed to
establish how much treated effluent Potsdam can
release into the system during various seasons to
minimise negative effects on the system.

The Friends of Rietvlei last year and early this
year requested the City to access the Rietvlei Trust
Fund for funds for this project, but this has not
materialised. Recently we applied to the Table
Mountain Fund (TMF) for funds for this project, and
we have provisionally been allocated R100,000 from
the TMF – BUT the funds will only be released if a
third party provides money for the balance required.
Friends of Rietvlei has pledged R6,270 (the cost of
one of the pieces of equipment required) to this
project, and we have now again approached the City
to provide the balance of R205,200 from the Rietvlei
Trust Fund or relevant City budgets.

Another study that needs to be done urgently is a
Reserve Determination for the estuary – this must be
done by the Department of Water Affairs before they
can issue a permit to Potsdam WWTW. The Reserve
Determination provides standards for the water
quality and quantity of treated effluent from
Potsdam before it can be released into the Diep
River.

The report back on the Estuary Management Plan was
informative and somewhat encouraging to see that
slow progress is being made on the action plan.

Expansion and Upgrading of Wastewater Treatment
Infrastructure in the Blaauwberg Area.

In our previous newsletter we mentioned the Record
of Decision (ROD) by the Provincial Department of
Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
approving the expansion of Potsdam Waste Water
Treatment Works from a capacity of 47Ml/day to
100Ml/day. The Friends of Rietvlei has since lodged
an appeal against the ROD with the Minister of Local
Government, Environment Affairs and Development
Planning. Our appeal is not against the expansion of
Potsdam WWTW as such, but is because we believe that
the decision was premature as the Environmental
Impact Report on which the decision is based had not
included alternative options for the disposal of
treated effluent. The report assumed that the Diep
River can cope with more treated effluent, and also
that there will be increased re-use of treated
effluent, but no studies were done to establish
whether these assumptions were true. Alternative
methods like marine discharge of treated effluent,
was also not included as a possible option for
effluent discharge.

Another reason for our appeal is that the ROD is
ambiguous and needs clarification of a number of the
conditions listed in the ROD. At the time of going
to press we are still waiting for the Minister’s
decision.

An interesting note on the Potsdam issue is that
Potsdam Waste Water Treatment Works have been
functioning without a valid permit since 2004. This
permit must be issued by the Department of Water
Affairs, but for the last six years the Department
has allowed Potsdam to continue operating under the
conditions of its old expired permit. Water Affairs
is now considering the City’s application for a new
permit for Potsdam, this is for the present
operations and not for the possible expanded
operations.

Water Affairs have informed the City that they are
not in favour of the expansion of Potsdam WWTW,
mostly for the same reasons that the Friends of
Rietvlei raised, namely that alternative discharge
options had not been investigated and included in
the EIR. They have also stated categorically that
they will not consider any new application for the
expansions until the permit presently under
consideration has been issued and certain matters
raised during this permit application has been
satisfactorily addressed.

Invitation to attend an information session on the newly established Early Detection and Rapid Response Programme

SANBI and the City of Cape Town
are working in partnership to
implement a pilot EDRR project
in the Cape Peninsula.

What is Early Detection and
Rapid Response? Preventing the
introduction of invasive species
is the first line of defence
against invasions. Even the best
prevention efforts will not stop
all invasive species
introductions. EDRR is the
second line of defence and
involves detecting new and
emerging plants at an early
stage and removing them before
they become established.

Why early detection and rapid
response? Managing already
established invasive plant
populations cost the country
millions every year. If these
invasive plants were detected
and removed earlier, eradication
would still be possible, less
costly and less damaging to the
environment and economy.

How do we intend doing it? A
list of target plant species has
been identified. An EDRR network
will be established, consisting
of “spotters” and “experts”. The
spotter network is made up of
volunteers who will be reporting
target species. Unknown species
will be sent to the experts for
identification. After locating
and positively identifying
target species the Rapid
Response team will remove the
species.

How can you get involved? Join
the EDRR network!

More information?

You are invited to an
information session on the EDRR
project in the Peninsula, where
you can find out more about the
project, its objectives and how
you can become involved.

Date: 9 November 2010, 5.30 for
6pm until 8pmVenue: The Barn
at the WESSA, 31 The Sanctuary,
off Pollsmoor Road, Kirstenhof.
RSVP: Sandy at WESSA on 021 701
1397 or e-mail
admin@wessa.co.za